Defining Friendship Collection  An Explanation
by TT's Miscellany
Summary: In another fandom I found a collection of stories based on friendship quotes. I've adapted the ideas for the Plum Universe. All stories deal with FRIENDSHIP  not romance.
1. An Explanation

**Defining Friendship Collection - An Explanation**

In another Fanfic group, I found a collection of stories based off of quotes about friendship. I _really _like the idea, so I've stolen it for my own purposes and have applied it to the Plum universe.

Each story in this collection will contain or be based off of a quote about friendship. So far the stories are mostly Ranger and Stephanie friendship stories, but it may not stay that way.

I'm not sure how frequently I will be adding stories, but here are two to start.

Enjoy!


	2. Better

_Disclaimer:_ The characters in this story belong to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

**_Defining Friendship Collection - Better_**

_From TT's Miscellany_

Stephanie stood at the side of the road, a smudge of ash across her cheek, small singe marks evident on her jacket and jeans. She had been so surrounded by the smoke, she could no longer smell it on her. A beatific smile rested on her lips as her eyes shown with a warmth that made them glow, giving her an almost angelic appearance.

To the casual observer, it would look like her gaze was directed at the heartwarming scene of mother and child reunited outside a burning building.

To those who knew her, it was obvious her gaze was fixed just beyond the family image to the smoke-smudged man behind them speaking with the fire chief.

Stephanie knew Ranger was just a man, not a superhero, but she also knew he was a much better man than he wanted others – including herself – to believe.

Shaking hands with the fireman, Ranger headed over to where Stephanie stood, waiting.

"You're a good man, Ricardo Carlos Manoso," she said quietly as he stopped in front of her.

"Babe," he said, his tone somewhere between pained and amused.

"What?" she demanded in disbelief. "I just saw you go into a burning building without gear to save a child and reunite her with her mother. _That_ qualifies you as a good man."

"Babe, I'm not a good man," Ranger said eyes scanning the surrounding area. Taking her by the arm, he gently guided her to his car.

"Then explain to me why someone who is not a good man would risk their lives to save someone else's?" she demanded.

Closing her door, Ranger circled the car and settled behind the steering wheel. He started the car and was well away from the area of the fire before he answered. "In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. The young they keep out of mischief; to the old they are a comfort and aid in their weakness, and those in the prime of life they incite to noble deeds'," he quoted.

"Who said that?" Stephanie asked, surprised at the quote.

"Aristotle," Ranger informed. Then, stopping at a traffic light, he turned to face her. "You, Stephanie Plum, are a true friend," he admitted, before turning his attention back to the road as he continued the drive to her apartment.

Flattered and flustered, Stephanie stared out her window for a few minutes. "So you're saying I incite you to do noble deeds?" she finally asked.

Silence filled the car until they reached Stephanie's apartment. Once the car was stopped, Stephanie reached for the door, but was stopped by Ranger placing a hand on her arm. Turning to face him, she met his eyes and gasped softly at all she saw there.

"You make me a better man than I want to be," he admitted softly before releasing her.

Swallowing hard, she broke eye contact and exited the car. Heading into her apartment building, she turned to look back as Ranger pulled away. Thinking of what Ranger had told her, a smile curved her lips.

Skipping her way to the elevator, she could only think that it was good to have friends.

End.


	3. By Appointment Only

_Disclaimer:_ The characters in this story belong to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

_**Defining Friendship Collection -By Appointment Only**_

_From TT's Miscellany_

Stephanie looked at the gift and sighed. She'd tossed and turned, thought and re-thought this gift. Doubts had assailed her, after all, she wasn't even sure of the exact date. But underneath all her fears and questions remained the knowledge that this was the right thing to do.

So, with a deep breath, she carefully wrapped the gift and addressed it. She would leave it and hope for the best.

Ranger sighed as he pushed himself off the back wall of the elevator. He had been on the go from one Rangemen office to the next for the better part of a month. He loved his business and was proud of what he had built, but there were days when he missed the simplicity of life when he was in the army, or simply a bounty hunter.

Now his life was complicated, he thought as he dropped the keys to his apartment in the dish on the side table. A smile curved his lips as he thought of his favorite complication – Stephanie Plum. The situations she could get into were certainly worth the time he spent with her.

Walking over, he hit the play button on his answering machine. Only five messages today, that was different. Normally when he was out of touch on airplanes there were more.

The first two were a reminder about a dentist appointment and a hang-up. The third one was his grandmother wishing him a happy birthday. Blinking in surprise, he glanced at the date on his watch and realized today was, in fact, his birthday. He had been so intent on wrapping up business in Miami and flying back he'd forgotten.

The final two messages were also happy birthday wishes.

A slight pang hit his heart as he realized that Steph hadn't wished him a happy birthday. But then, he realized, she didn't know it was today, just that he was two months older than her. A sigh escaped as he ran his hand through his hair. Maybe he could share a little bit more with her.

Making his way to his bedroom, he flicked on the light and stopped in his tracks. Sitting on his bed was a box wrapped in black paper with a metallic silver bow on it. Curious, he made his way to the bed and looked at the box. There was a tag on it that read: To Ranger, Happy Birthday. Love, Steph PS Don't open until your birthday.

A smile spread across his face as he felt a warmth grow in his chest. There was no telling how long this had been sitting there, but she hadn't forgotten his birthday.

As he sat on the bed, he lifted the box to his lap. Taking off the bow, he unwrapped the package and then opened the box.

With a careful movement he unfolded the tissue paper and stared down at the contents. It was a metal picture frame. The picture showed the two of them standing together while one of her cars burned in the background. They were fairly close together and his head was tilted down, a full smile on his face. Steph had been caught mid-eyeroll. It was a good picture of them and he wondered where she had gotten it.

There was some writing at the bottom of the picture which he quickly read:

I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar. – Robert Brault

Thanks for always having time for me and never checking your calendar – Steph 

The warmth that had invaded his chest increased and he carefully lifted the picture frame from its box. Rising from his seat, he walked over and set the picture on his bedside table.

Glancing at the clock, he realized it wasn't yet six and he might still be able to catch Steph before she went to her parent's.

Opening his cellphone, he dialed her number.

"'Lo?" her voice asked.

"Babe," he greeted.

"Ranger!" she identified, her smile evident in her voice. "Are you back in town?"

"Just in today," he admitted. He paused momentarily before continuing, "I was wondering if you were free to grab dinner with me tonight."

"Sure," she replied without hesitation. "Anywhere in particular?"

"I was thinking Rossini's."

"Mmmm… tiramisu."

He chuckled softly. "Babe," he said indulgently.

"What's the occasion?" she asked.

The first response that came to mind was to tell her there was no reason. Then he thought about the gift she had given him and decided to let her in a little more. "Just want to spend my birthday with a good friend," he admitted softly, a little nervously. Silence greeted his confession and he became a little nervous about what he'd said.

"Can't think of a better reason," Steph finally responded, her voice soft and full of emotion.

"See you in an hour," he replied before ending the call.

Letting out his breath slowly, he glanced at the picture and a smile graced his face once more. It was time to let her in a little more. Tossing his cell on the nightstand, he quickly emptied his pockets and started to change for his dinner. It had been years since he'd actually celebrated his birthday or even admitted he had one. But, he knew, without a doubt, that this was right.

End.


	4. Possibilities

_Disclaimer: _The Characters in this story belong to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Possibilities**

_From TT's Miscellany_

Tomorrow was that anniversary again. The one she wanted to forget and the one she wanted to remember.

She wanted to forget because it was the worst day of her life, but part of her wanted to remember because it was also the day that her life changed for the better and things had just kept going up from there.

Growing up as she had, working in that line of work, she never thought she could lead the life she did now. More and more she was forgetting she was an ex-ho and thinking of herself as a file clerk and a friend first. Throw in her relationship with Tank and she was an honest-to-God girlfriend, another thing she never thought she'd be. Too bad he was out of town this week.

She had been scanning through the radio stations in her car earlier and a phrase she heard on one of those self-help shows she never listened to stuck in her head "focus on the positive results from every situation".

Oh, she'd heard that before, or things similar to it, but never as she faced a day like tomorrow

Today it stuck with her.

This year she was going to focus on how her life had changed for the better, not how horrible that one incident was.

Decision made, she headed to the mall.

The next morning she pulled into her normal parking space in front of the bonds office and lifted her extra-large purse onto her shoulder.

Pushing the door open, she greeted Connie with her head held high and a smile on her face. Tank had called her that morning just before she left. He reminded her that she was no longer a victim and that she was loved. He had reinforced it with a dozen roses that were delivered while they were talking.

Dropping her purse in the corner, she started filing, knowing Stephanie would be there in a few hours. She'd already caught a glimpse of three files sitting and waiting for her girl and knew going with her to pick up skips would be the perfect time to give her the gift. Lula was also positive she would be going with Stephanie today; it had become a tradition of sorts for them.

As expected, Stephanie breezed into the office two hours later, a box from Tasty Pastry in hand. The normal greetings took place and in short order she and Steph were on their way to the first house.

The first skip was really no problem and they quickly found themselves at the police station.

Though she didn't go in, it had still taken all her patience and all the encouragement she could give herself to stay in the car and not leave. She really hated police stations.

She saw the surprise on Stephanie's face when she was still there, but was thankful when there was no comment.

"Time for lunch," Steph chirped, a smile on her face.

"McDonalds?" Lula asked, ready for a value meal. She watched the sly grin appear on her friend's face.

"Not quite," Steph replied, turning away from their usual restaurant.

Lula felt amazed and teary when Stephanie parked in front of Rossini's. She could easily remember when Rossini's was as far out of her world as Mars. It only took a moment for Lula to realize that she belonged there every bit as much as everyone else.

"Let's eat," Steph said, smiling widely.

Lula just smiled and exited the car.

They were seated and had placed their orders – for dessert first and then lunch – when she felt the moment had come. Reaching into her bag, she grasped the gift. Before she could pull it out, though Stephanie interrupted.

"I got something for you," she said, pushing a small box across the table.

"You didn't have to," Lula deflected, touched by the thought.

Stephanie shrugged. "It's a day to celebrate," she said, blushing slightly.

Unwrapping the box and opening it, Lula gasped. Inside was a set of crystal earrings. As soon as she lifted one out of the box, a shaft of light caught the dangling crystal, refracting the light into a rainbow of colors. "Oh, giirrrl," she said, tears springing to her eyes.

"I found those down at Point Pleasant," Steph interjected. "The crystals are from a really old lamp, but the way they split the light in to colors reminded me of you."

Lula looked at her friend, her expression clearly reflecting her puzzlement.

Blushing a dark rose, Steph explained, "You always add color to my world."

A beautiful smile spread across her face as Lula quickly replaced her earrings with the ones Stephanie had given her. She could almost feel the light of friendship flowing out of her.

Putting her old earrings in the box, she slipped it into her purse and extracted her own present.

At Stephanie's questioning look, Lula explained, "I wanted to celebrate a bit this year too. Meeting you changed my world and opened a whole lot of doors I never thought I'd be able to open."

Unwrapping the gift, Stephanie smiled at the book. She and Lula had seen it at the mall on one of their trips. It was a photography book filled with different pictures from around the world. They had joked it was the only way either of them would see those strange and foreign places. Opening it, her eye was caught by an inscription on the cover. It read "Steph: 'Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.' – Anais Nin Thank you for showing me worlds I didn't know existed. – Lula"

Tears sparkled in Stephanie's eyes. Blowing out a shaky breath, she shook her head and tried for a grin. "Yeah," she agreed. "The wonderful world of garbage, Vaseline, stalkers and crazies."

Knowing how much Stephanie hated dealing with emotions, Lula let the comment slide. Her friends face told her all she really needed to know. "Yeah," she said with a wink. "And let's not forget the world of batman, too."

They both laughed at the comment as their dessert arrived.

End


	5. Loyalty

_Disclaimer:_ _The characters in this story belong to Janet Evanovich (with the exception of Lureen) and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. _

**Loyalty **  
_From TT's Miscellany_

Stephanie looked around the bar-b-que. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy picnics, but this particular one was the brainchild of her mother and her Aunt - a family reunion.

She had almost gotten out of it. Ranger mentioned he would need to stakeout one of his skips and Stephanie had volunteered to help. She must have sounded a little too anxious to help, given Ranger's suspicious look. Eventually, he had gotten out of her that she was trying to avoid her family reunion. He had just smiled, tugged one of her curls and told

Her that family was important and she should go.

Her next plan was to try and set up something with Joe, but, though he was happy to go out with her, he had to work during that time.

So, here she was, surrounded by her family. The only saving grace she had was that Eddie was here as well. Though, she was never particularly fond of her cousin and she was sure that Eddie and Shirley's children were demon spawn, it was nice to see a friendly face.

Currently, though, Eddie was off with the other men and the kids playing softball.

Stephanie had volunteered to Umpire the game, but discovered her father had already taken that role. She offered to play on one of the teams, but that would leave an uneven number.

So, here she sat at a table with all of her cousins and cousin-in-laws as well as her sister Valerie. There were babies all around the table and toddlers too small to play ball wandering around.

"So, when are you going to settle down and have some kids," one of her cousins asked.

Stephanie tore her attention away from her car and the escape route she was planning and looked at the speaker. "When I'm ready," she replied, trying to ignore the pained look on Valerie's face. "If I'm ever ready," she added quietly to herself.

"I don't blame you a bit for needing to get out there and do your own thing after Dickie... well... you know," Shirley's sister-in-law said. "But for all the fun you're having, you could be having a lot more if you settled down and had a few little bounty hunters of your own."

A chill raced down Stephanie's spine as a shudder raced through her body. She was not ready for children. In fact, more than an hour with her nieces was usually more than enough to cure any maternal instincts that tried to rear their ugly heads.

"Besides, your body isn't going to last forever," Shirley added. "Your figure might, but I know how hard the physical side of the job is on my Eddie."

Stephanie couldn't deny the fact that she tended to wake up sore some mornings and Shirley did have a point.

"From what I hear, you aren't that good anyway," her nasty second cousin Lureen threw out. "Maybe you should just give up now and find something more suitable."

Pink tinged Stephanie's cheeks, the flush was from anger, though, not embarrassment. Before she could open her mouth to defend herself, another voice piped up.

"Let it go," Eddie interjected, leaning over to swipe Shirley's drink and quickly finishing it off. "Steph may have a few hiccups along the way, but she was made for skip-tracing. There aren't a whole lot of people out there who could bring in some of her skips without hurting them or causing other problems." Turning to look into Stephanie's eyes, he added, "I know you don't hear it often, and I know we joke about you a lot, but everyone at the station thinks you're good at what you do."

Stephanie's eyes widened in surprise as a smile appeared on her face. "Thanks, Eddie," she replied softly.

Eddie smiled, nodded, and headed back to where the men were gathered.

After he left, Val stepped in and began a discussion on child-safe paints.

Unable to stop smiling, Stephanie thought of a way to thank Eddie.

Monday morning Eddie stepped out of the locker room and headed toward his desk. The reunion had been a lot of fun. It was good to see everyone together. It also gave him and Shirley a chance to exhaust their boys without hiring a baby sitter.

As he reached his desk, he stopped and stared for a moment. There was a pastry box on his desk. He glanced around the nearly empty room, curious as to who could have left it. After all, everyone knew Shirley had him off of donuts and none of the boys wanted to face her wrath.

Moving closer, he spied the envelope on the top. Opening it, he quickly read:

Eddie,  
"One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives" - Euripides  
Thanks for having my back.  
Steph  
P. S. Don't tell Shirley about the donuts.

A soft chuckle escaped him as he smiled. Setting the note and envelope on his desk, he quickly flipped open the lid of the box and licked his lips. Steph always knew his favorites.

Reaching into the box to retrieve his first treat, he settled into his chair and reflected on the lifetime of friendship he and Stephanie had shared, all the things they had been through, all the times they had gotten each other's backs even when their families hadn't agreed with their choices.

He found he agreed with the sentiment in her quote. His friendship with Stephanie Plum had been and still was the most valued in his life, after Shirley and his kids. Reaching into the box to retrieve another donut, he smiled and decided to let her know more often.

End.


End file.
